Unit Program Coordinator Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Youth Leadership Institute (yli) builds communities where young people and their adult allies come together to create positive community change that promotes social justice and racial equity. For over 20 years the Youth Leadership Institute has sparked the leadership of young people to solve pressing social issues and serve our communities. yli’s community-based programs are located in San Francisco, Marin, San Mateo, Merced and the Central Valley, Long Beach, and the Eastern Coachella Valley. In addition to serving 7 California counties, yli provides customized trainings, consulting, evaluation, and technical assistance services nationally. 

yli is committed to engaging and developing young people of color, low-income youth, and other non-traditional youth as researchers, advocates, and agents of social change. With support from yli staff and through authentic partnerships with other key adult allies, young people build the skills necessary to research the issues that most affect them and their communities, develop campaigns to advocate for change, and partner with local stakeholders to implement these changes in their respective communities.

This position starts as early as August 12th, 2026.

PRIMARY FUNCTION 

The Program Coordinator (PC) works in partnership with youth (ages 12 – 24) to organize, empower and mobilize youth and their communities to win real improvements for San Franciscan young people. The PC will train and support youth leaders to develop and deepen political consciousness, assess and understand issues impacting their health and well being, build relationships and partnerships with youth and community supporters, and drive countywide and local community campaigns that mobilize supporters, create long- term systems and/or policy change, and build power for future victories. 

The PC is responsible for managing all of the logistics and functional tasks necessary for meeting the goals and objectives of the assigned campaigns, and for ensuring that the young people are experiencing high quality and culturally relevant leadership opportunities. The Program Coordinator will work to support overall San Francisco campaigns, initiatives and staff, prepare appropriate materials, collaborate with community partners, and develop and lead training for youth leaders and other campaign partners.

This PC will particularly focus on commercial tobacco prevention work as it relates to racially targeted marketing strategies, minimum pricing and pack size, smoking policy in multi-unit housing, and public health education. The commercial tobacco prevention program will follow a Community Action Model (CAM) framework which will amplify youth voice and leadership. The CAM program focuses on commercial tobacco prevention in San Francisco, specifically educating and mentoring young people to lead the policy change they want to see in their community.

This PC will also coordinate an additional program, Justice Grows Here, that engages young people in environmental justice education and a civic engagement project in San Francisco. Justice Grows Here runs throughout the SFUSD school year (September through May) and Community Action Model will run until December 2026.

The PC is also responsible for coordinating and providing direct educational curriculum delivery, youth prosocial and leadership activity development, youth leadership skill building and training, parent education delivery, community education/awareness outreach, and social norms campaign development and implementation at program locations. They will also serve as the liaison between school and community leaders in San Francisco and the Youth Leadership Institute.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Recruitment, Outreach, and Promotion
  • Sustain recruitment to ensure diverse youth membership in the campaigns
  • Conduct outreach to recruit and attract dynamic and diverse team of youth leaders and adult leaders
  • Ensure balanced, demographically diverse groups of youth and adults
  • Produce appealing and relevant materials, and outreach materials
  • Attend several different coalition meetings and set up a network

• High-Quality Relationships with Youth and Adult Participants
  • Utilize positive youth development and youth-adult partnership principles to guide the work
  • Represent YLI to networks and community in professional way
  • Develop relationships with local leaders and decision makers
  • Attend local government meetings and events when needed
  • Hold 1:1s with youth

• Program Leadership and Logistical Functions
  • Using yli curriculum, plan for and deliver developmentally appropriate and engaging workshops and training that build leadership and organizing skills, deepen issue and community knowledge, and strengthen connections among members, as well as spark transformation that leads to impactful advocacy
  • Supervise and mentor youth leaders to develop and implement youth-led campaigns that offer multiple youth leadership development opportunities 
  • Plan and arrange meetings and events, including: preparing sites, agendas, and materials
  • Conduct strategic follow-up activities after meetings and events including: preparation and distribution of minutes and other records, carrying out tasks assigned at the meeting 
  • Align program curriculum with the different and innovative aspects of media

• Management and Oversight of Campaign Development and Implementation
  • Manage coordination of media and press coverage for campaigns as necessary
  • Employ social media tools as a method to organize youth base
  • Develop the capacity of youth and adults to facilitate youth-led community level data gathering and analysis in support of campaign actions
  • Manage coordination of key campaign events, like rallies, assemblies, press conferences or legislative hearings as needed
  • Secure support of campaigns by key stakeholders including school administrators, teachers, parents, community members, policy leaders and other youth groups 
  • Maintain and regularly update a database of allies, constituents, and opponents for use during mobilization and regular communication with campaign supporters
  • Contribute to development of internship programs
  • Attend City Council and County Board of Supervisor meetings and other civic engagement opportunities as needed during campaigns.

• Reporting and Record Keeping
  • Keep accurate, current records of participant demographics
  • Maintain event summary and monthly records of activities
  • Document the timely completion of contractual goals and objectives, including internal and external reports
  • Maintain supervision logs and track youth and staff progress towards goals
  • Produce regular reports as required by funders
  • Create content that are educational leaflets for recruitment

• Stay informed about local issues, trends, and opportunities in the field
  • Scan local and state list serves and websites 
  • Track local policy related to projects 
  • Bring issues and opportunities to the attention of supervisors and share knowledge and resources with staff 

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 2-3 years relevant experience in the field of youth development, and/or a B.A.
• Commitment to social justice, public health, and community organizing as strategies to affect change
• Experience facilitating youth-driven campaigns or projects
• Experience with social media and media relations
• Demonstrated capacity to work with youth and adults from communities of color and low-income communities
• Significant experience in project management
• Strong written and verbal communications skills
• Excellent follow-through skills; detail-oriented, organized, professional
• Experience with community based research or assessment
• Able to work some evenings and weekends
• Able to work in a fast-paced, multifaceted environment
• Computer literate in Mac Platform; proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and Google Applications
• Capacity to be self-motivated 
• Commitment to YLI’s values of community, inclusion, innovation, and social justice
• Bilingual/Bicultural a plus
• Access to a personal vehicle and clean driving record is required

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with supervision and/or mentorship of youth
• Experience training and providing technical assistance to youth and adult leaders
• Knowledge of San Francisco Bay Area neighborhoods and communities very helpful
• Familiarity with social media as a tool for organizing and advocacy